


Below the Surface

by PendragonQueen09



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Human Roman, Kraken Remus, M/M, Sea Dragon Janus, Siren Patton, Umibozu Virgil, merman logan, toxic to nontoxic relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:26:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29782992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PendragonQueen09/pseuds/PendragonQueen09
Summary: Every few decades the monsters of the ocean kidnap a new human for their own entertainment, choosing someone they like that nobody will miss.Roman is unfortunate enough to be chosen.(Contains drlamp with remrom, Roman and Remus are not related.  I'll probably warn every chapter there's remrom anyway tho)(This is also a darkfic, at least at the beginning, but it will get softer.  All sides but Roman are abusive/toxic at the start.)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Dark Creativity | Remus/Deceit/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Anxiety | Virgil/Dark Creativity | Remus/Deceit | Janus/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 5
Kudos: 42





	1. A Perfect Day

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, no, I've started another one  
> Warnings for this chapter:  
> Kidnapping  
> Symptoms of drugging (kinda)

The sun shone bright in the sky, patterned with fluffy white clouds. As Roman walked to the port, light reflecting off of the beautifully calm ocean, he heard seagulls calling out- happily picking at the pollution-free beach for unfortunate fish washed up by the tides and left in pools of their own. Despite the gorgeous day, Roman was rather surprised to find no people around- but as he breathed in the crisp, salty air, he couldn't bring himself to care. 

Today, his life would change. Today, Roman was going to achieve the dream he'd been working towards for the last seventeen years- since he'd turned six and first been asked that wondrous question, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"

For today, Roman was meeting with one of the most famous directors in the country, let alone  _ Florida, _ and with the weather- his outfit- and his makeup all utterly  _ perfect,  _ Roman had no doubts that he was about to make an ally that would slingshot him to the top of the acting world.

He ran a hand through his hair as he strolled onto the dock, glancing around curiously. The man had sent him a letter to meet here- Roman had heard he was quite the recluse, so despite the old fashioned format he had few doubts about the whole thing, especially so since the letter had had the director's patented wax seal. Still, he was a little concerned to see  _ no one _ .

Even the beaches were bare, aside from the tide pools full of critters closer to the edge. Roman rarely saw it this clear, not unless there was some sort of natural weather disaster or it was a private beach- but Roman had been to this beach in particular a few times, and it was  _ always  _ overcrowded. Seeing it like this, with the clouds in the sky fluffy and undisturbed, felt a little… eerie.

A seagull turned a beady black eye to him, cawed, and flew away.

Roman raised his hand once more to card through his hair as he stared at where it stood, where there was no sign it had even been there- not a footprint in sight.

"Roman, is that you?" Came a voice, startling Roman out of his musings. He turned his head quickly, confused-  _ more  _ confused as he saw a yacht at the end of the dock. No, he… he was almost  _ certain  _ he had seen no one, no sign of life, not even on the surface of the ocean. There were barely  _ waves.  _

… it was  _ too _ perfect.

Roman papped his palm against his forehead, shaking his head and smiling deliriously at the thought. He gets  _ one  _ good thing, and his mind turns it on him! Ridiculous. He was going to enjoy this perfect day, whether he liked it or not!

… still, he couldn't completely keep that feeling, like something bad was about to happen, from budding in the back of his chest, attempting to steal the words from the bottom of his throat and choke him into silence.

He redirected his attention again to the boat, marching up cheerfully as he noticed a finely dressed man leaning over the edge.

"Good day, sir! Might I assume you are the dear Janus Drakon I have heard tales of?" He questioned, eyes lighting and dancing across the man's figure. He was rather attractive, and much younger than Roman would have thought. Blond hair fluttered around his head, near white, and a pair of  _ strikingly _ green eyes shone against slightly tan skin. Roman was also quite thrilled in noticing the man's ears came to a short point, and for a moment, he forgot he was meant to be intimidated by this person- but then he spoke, and the mistake was quickly rectified as Roman swallowed thickly. 

"You would be correct," the man said on what was practically a purr, or perhaps a growl- yet somehow, the words resonated to the point of being almost too loud. "Then you  _ are  _ Roman," he decided, though he didn't sound at all surprised. "We are lucky the beach was so clear today, we mightn't have spot each other otherwise."

Oh thank  _ goodness,  _ Roman wasn't the only one to notice. "Strange, no? Usually the beaches are utterly packed with tourists, I've never seen it this empty."

"It's a good sign," Drakon said softly, "a perfect day for a perfect meeting, hm? Come on in and we'll head out to sea, I am far more comfortable there than here."

It was only one meeting. Roman looked to the distant water, eyes dark and brows low.

"I can't swim," he said, and his attitude flipped from serious to humored, laughing at himself. "So if I fall in, you  _ will _ have to save me."

For a near uncomfortably long moment, the man didn't smile- only stared at Roman, eyes somewhat narrowed as he sized him up, but the moment passed like it hadn't happened, and Janus smirked. "Of course. I'm certain you will be  _ perfectly _ safe."

With the other's support, Roman managed to clamber into the boat and sit on one of the seats, and then they were off. He held tight to the edge as they sped away, missing the land already.

The elusive director stopped the boat finally as they entered a shaded rocky area, sheltered by two overhanging cliffs. Considering how nice the weather was, it was almost a travesty- but Roman wasn't about to complain to the man with the power to rocket his career forwards. Still, it was creepy, and it peaked his anxiety a slight bit.

"Ah, a nice spot of shade, don't you think?" The man asked, taking the seat across from Roman. "I love this section. Rather ambient. One gets the best of ideas, sitting alone in the dark. The cliffs lean far enough over that there is barely a trickle when it rains, and yet, you never see anyone here. Why do you think that is?"

Roman glanced out of the boat- turned his head and chuckled nervously. "I'd guess the rocks and lack of shore for miles has something to do with it. You don't want to hit your boat and sink it without people around for such a distant swim. And, besides that," Roman paused, frowning. "I'm not sure. Something just feels…  _ off _ , here. It feels haunted."

"Oh, but that only adds to it all, I think," the man smiled, his teeth looking just a little too sharp- glinting in the light that reflected off of the surface of the water. Out there, it had looked peaceful. Here, it simply looked dead. Roman could hear water dripping from the tops of the cliffs and down to the water at the edges, and he could hear another sound, too- like singing.

"Are you humming?" Roman questioned, but the man only tilted his head. "Sorry, I- I must be hearing things. Uhm, shall we get started?"

The smile fell slowly off of the director's face, and Roman felt like he'd made some sort of mistake- and moreso, somehow, like he was about to get devoured whole.

Then there was the feeling of eyes.

Sure, Janus was watching him, but it was something else. Roman glanced around himself, swallowing thickly. In the corners of his eyes, he saw shadows- lurking just at the edges, always out of sight.

He had the distinct feeling of being a rabbit, lured in and trapped in a cage, and there was no longer any form of escape. Still Janus had given him no response, analyzing him with eyes that looked almost dead. Had they always been so sickly yellow?

The singing grew louder, and there was a splash nearby. Roman was nearly afraid to take his eyes off of the other, but with the noise his head snapped to the side to see what had made the sound, too spooked now to do anything more than  _ react _ .

The murky depths were entirely undisturbed, and Roman felt he was going insane. He was getting dizzy, feeling sick- was this seasickness?

"Do you think we could perhaps go ba-ack to the shore? I think I'm a bit… lightheaded," he requested weakly, and still Janus didn't respond, tilting his head and staring at Roman like some new specimen- or a king's unworthy subject.

Finally Roman stood, rocking the boat. The song was so loud now- and he fell forwards, unable to support himself on his legs. He landed in Janus' arms, against his chest, dizzy enough that he could no longer see clearly.

"Shh, shh, it will be alright, little human. Just relax," Janus purred against the top of his head, petting down the back of Roman's hair. Giggles sounded all around him, laughter- and yet, as the lullaby continued from the unknown source, the dizziness overtook him, and Roman fell asleep.


	2. Sinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman meets the monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw:   
> nonconsensual it/its pronouns  
> Mentions of death  
> Mentions of injuries that can be received from the ocean  
> Remus being creepy in a way that could technically be seen as remrom (but his intentions with the line are much more gorey)  
> Mentions of drowning

"How much longer?" A deep, rumbling voice with a static overtone spoke, rousing Roman uncomfortably from his slumber.

"I can't control that," hummed another voice, sweet like honey, and Roman recognized it as the haunting singer. He remained completely still, eyes shut as he tried to gain awareness of his position. "I only control how fast it sleeps, what it dreams of… but once the dreams are over, it is up to  _ it  _ when it wakes up. You know that, Virgil."

The noise that answered could only be described as  _ disgruntled _ , for it was a sound of static like an old TV played on max volume, and Roman's hands jumped up to his ears to shield them but it was like the sound was  _ inside  _ his head. He writhed on the ground a few seconds after it ended, scratching at his earlobes, and when he was able to hear again he heard those same giggles and laughs from earlier- things completely and strangely  _ inhuman _ .

He opened his eyes, blinking back tears at the pain from the noise- since it was clear they knew he was now awake- and he looked around himself for the sources.

He was sat on a flat expanse of rock, apparently deeper into that cavern Janus had led him into, for similar cliffs lay above, completely blocking any outside light from entering. There was still a strange blue glow over the… room, if it could be called that, cast by blue and green luminescent worms on the walls. Roman kept his hands on his ears, wondering if he was still dreaming.

There was a man who appeared human hanging onto a rock nearby, eyes fixed curiously and yet disinterestedly at once on Roman. His dark hair was pushed back, and the only thing that showed he was not human were the gills on the sides of his neck and the spiked ears that took the form of fins on the sides of his head. Beside him was one who looked faintly similar, save for glowing cyan eyes without a pupil and curly hair around his head- skin pale and reflective of the light around them, or so Roman though until he noticed he could faintly see past him- that the creature was nearly  _ transparent. _

Something dripped- fell to land on the top of Roman's forehead, and slowly, he turned his head to look upwards. He found himself near face to face with another creature- something like a mustache on its face. Its teeth jutted out of its lips, and its eyes glowed red, but perhaps most noticeably was the way it was being held up by a multitude of tentacles that jutted unpleasantly from its back, slimy and sticky looking.

Roman screamed, scrambling backwards and to his feet until his back was against the wall, and he was heaving for air.

"Aww, the poor thing is terrified!" Exclaimed the nearly transparent one, and Roman recognized it as the singer.

"It had better get used to it," chittered the tentacled creature from above, giggling into its hands. It's tentacles slid over each other as if searching for a hold on the slick rock walls, and it made Roman sick. He didn't recognize the voice, but the laughter was certainly one of them from earlier. 

He turned his eyes on the third, next to the singer. Did that make this one the one that spoke static? After a moment of staring, it simply tilted its head at him.

"Where," Roman started on a breath, cleared his throat, and tried again. "Where is Janus?"

"Janny gave you his real name?" Asked the monster above, sliding slowly down the walls to stand on two feet. Roman noted the creature was completely bare, and he averted his gaze, features scrunched in discomfort.

"Unusual," said another unfamiliar voice, and Roman's eyes flicked to the first man he had noticed. But that meant…

"It's awake!" Rumbled that voice like static inside of Roman's head, and the human cried out- hands darting again to his ears as the thing's excitement made it even louder than before. The transparent one grinned with sharp teeth, none of the monsters seeming as affected by the noise as Roman was.

"Virgil, volume," the first man ordered, the fins on the side of his head flexing and relaxing. 

"It will get used to it," the tentacle monster said again, giggling once more before it slipped cheerily into the water with barely a splash- crawling down the side of the rock it had settled on and slowly to the bottom.

"Hush, all of you," came Janus' voice, and Roman had never been so relieved- because even if these  _ things _ were all monsters, Janus at least- he had been human, right?

Something flew around Roman's back- separated him from the cavern wall he had pushed himself up against, and he stepped back away from it, stumbling to fall on his own ass.

… it was a dragon.

A serpentine creature, specifically. It flew around in a circle once in the air before curling and settling around a rock near the center. It had no legs, no wings, and yet it flew, and when it spoke, it was with the voice of the director.

"It's confused, and you're all overwhelming it. We've been doing this for centuries, and you still have yet to learn," it- Janus rumbled, and at least the transparent one had the decency to look apologetic. Roman thought the tentacle creature might have said something, for bubbles floated to the top of the water where it had gone down.

"Buzz off," came the static's voice, and Roman saw a shadowy sort of figure in the corner of his eye-  _ glitching,  _ if it could be called that. It was as if the entire being was static, from its voice to its body- a shadow that fizzled and crackled like it was trying to speak to someone. Roman blinked, and it disappeared, reappearing in another shadow, and he thought he saw white eyes glinting out from its head before it flickered three more times and settled on a rock near a wall, to the left and above the dragon- still shadowed, now crouching on its perch, and Roman gained a better glance at those pure white eyes. He thought it turned its gaze on him, for visions of spiders suddenly crawled through his head and he yelped- scrambling again back to the wall as he cried out, curled up and staring at his feet.

"He's right, Virgil- we need to calm it down, tell it why it's here- unless you're planning on a  _ demonstration  _ this time around," the first claimed, glancing to the shadow- making eye contact with apparently no problem. 

The static came and went quicker this time- almost manageable.

"... Alright," the creature finally acquiesced. "Explain it, Logan- I have no plans of using it around all of  _ you _ ."

"Cutie, love ya," the transparent one cooed to the shadow, and there was an almost flustered crackle inside of Roman's head. The first- Logan, apparently, took a breath.

"Welcome, human. You've been chosen to be our brand new pet- slave, servant, whatever you'd like to call it. There is no declining the offer, and no running; well, not that you could, unless you learned to swim."

"... pet?" Roman repeated quietly through his own fingers. The tentacled demon splashed through the surface of the water to flop its soggy, shoulder-length mop of hair on Roman's rock.

"Ding!" It exclaimed. "And toy!"

"I don't see the point of this," said the static- Virgil, Roman guessed. "All it needs to know is what name to scream when it's being fucked."

The human squeaked quietly. The tentacled creature gave another little giggle.

"He's right! I'm Remus!" It said, tentacles pulling its whole body up to the surface of Roman's rock.

"Logan," introduced the first- the man in the water. 

"Patton's the name!" Said the one beside him.

The static crackled in Roman's head like laughter.

"Virgil," it said, and the white noise fell slightly when it did. The shadowy figure moved to sit at the edge of the rock it was positioned on, and in doing so it left its corner of darkness. It was enough that Roman was able to make out the features of a gaunt man, black hair both falling and flaming around its face- like flames of shadow, rising from its body like steam.

"And Janus, of course," the dragon purred, curling more around the rock- flying up and disappearing into a point of light at the top, and when the light faded, the man from the yacht was sat there with scales on his cheeks and golden eyes, smirking down towards Roman. "You silly little thing- you really thought your acting was good enough to attract the attention of a famous director at twenty three? Gods, you're stuck up. I'm going to  _ enjoy _ tearing down that ego of yours."

"What-" Roman started. Stuttered, terrified of the implications. This had to be a nightmare, right? No matter how cold the stone felt beneath his hand, this  _ couldn't  _ be real. "What do you mean?"

"There  _ is  _ no Janus Drakon," the dragon growled. "Hallucination magic, of sort, to lure you here- I made you imagine the figure, and it was easy from there."

"Why do we keep getting idiots?" Logan questioned with a huff, leaning his cheek against the rock, and Patton pet fingers down his hair to soothe him.

"What  _ are  _ you all?" The human asked, curling his knees tighter to his chest as if they would protect him from the emotional jabs at the things he was already rather sensitive about, but he still felt those pained pinpricks in his chest.

"Sea monsters, to be basic," Logan answered. "Janus is a sea dragon, Patton is a siren, I am a merman, Virgil is what one would call an umibozu, and Remus is-" he looked to the tentacled monster, hesitating a moment. "Well, Remus is just Remus."

"Most Kraken stories are my fault!" It said, cackling as its tentacles moved and squirmed around its torso like a living set of clothes with a mind of their own. He fell to his knees and slowly crawled up to Roman, eyes glinting as the human cringed the closer he got.

"Hey," the monster said, reaching out a hand and squeezing at Roman's cheek. "This one is warmer than the last one. _ I like that. _ Do you think its insides are warmer too?" He laughed, and those wide eyes turned to the other monsters. " _ Can I test it?" _

Roman gave a low whine at the idea, terrified- yet unable to get away. The other monsters only grinned at Remus' antics.

"If it has no more questions, you all may leave it with me for the day so I may train it properly- keep it from snapping at any of you, show it its place," Janus purred.

"I'll help, of course- take over for punishments," the static sounded- all too delighted with the idea. 

"Not this time, I think," the dragon responded, leaning its head on its hand. "But next time, you can have the entire first day- hm? I think this one would try to take advantage of any… weaknesses."

Virgil's static crinkled in understanding. 

"Wait!" Roman butted out, because if they left, it meant… he wasn't sure what it meant. But he wasn't sure how long he could stall, either. He had no idea what to even ask about. "Uh- am I, am I expected to sleep here?"

A brilliant grin broke out over the merman's face. "An excellent question! No, we will be taking you to a cavern far below the surface- it is intended to make even the most excellent human swimmers unable to escape it without our help. You will likely rupture an eardrum on the way down- rather common for your kind, but the injury will heal within three months. You may experience hearing loss, bleeding, and sharp pain in your ears, but it is more dangerous rising to the surface than falling to the caverns- for a human."

"Wh- what are the dangers of rising?" Roman questioned timidly, flinching as Remus huffed in annoyance and flopped to settle next to him. Fortunately, the tentacles stayed close to him, even as he leaned his head on Roman's shoulder, lips pouted out as if bored. Roman wasn't entirely sure what to do about that, so he just stayed stock still- frozen in fear. The creature was as slimy as it looked, at least where the tentacles were concerned, and it was cold-  _ frigid,  _ enough to have Roman give a shiver of discomfort.

"Well, you could burst air sacs in your lungs, giving you permanent difficulty breathing, and if air bubbles make it into an artery, you could have a heart attack. Nitrogen in your body as you ascend can also cause tissue and nerve damage, and if it makes if to your brain-"

"Death!" Remus screeched, sitting up happily off of Roman's shoulder and raising his arms in the air- a few tentacles shot up with them. Logan nodded, smiling.

"Or paralysis, yes! Good, Remus!" The merman responded, and the other beamed. "But rest assured, human, we likely won't bring you back."

"You  _ can't-" _ Roman choked out. "I have- I have a girlfriend, she'll notice I'm missing-"

"Now, that is the boldest lie you've told yet," the dragon snorted into his hand. " _ Please _ , Roman, you don't even have a  _ friend _ . Nobody will notice you've gone, and even if they do- you truly believe they'll check below the surface of the ocean? If so, you're even more of an idiot than I'd thought." His eyes traced up and down Roman's figure, and he smirked. "But you already know that. Don't fight on the way down, we wouldn't want to accidentally  _ drown  _ you."

"Wait-  _ wait,  _ I'm not done asking questions, yet!" He stuttered out, combing his mind  _ desperately  _ for something to ask as Remus seized his arm and began dragging him towards the edge of the water, where Patton and Logan poked their heads out. "I- I- what will I eat? Drink?"

"Best not to worry about it right now," Logan said simply, reaching out as the two got close enough to grab Roman's other arm and drag him into the water. Remus passed the arm he had been holding to Patton, and Roman found the transparent skin slippery- but his hands still held a tight grip on Roman's, one he couldn't escape if he'd tried. Logan's touch was the most human by far. "You can question more once we're down," the merman continued, "but for now?  _ Hold your breath." _

Roman gasped a deep breath inward, and then he was pulled under.


End file.
